Homeschooling a Child With Autism or ADHD in Texas

What Texas asks of a homeschool family

These are the homeschool rules we have on file for Texas, last verified 2026-08. Our Texas page has the full list, with sources.

Getting started (notice)

none. Homeschools are private schools under Leeper v. Arlington ISD; no filing with anyone (if a district asks, a letter of assurance that the five subjects are taught is the customary response)

Records you must keep

none required (keeping your own records is widely recommended, e.g. for college admissions)

Testing / evaluation

none

Special education and your homeschooled child in Texas

We researched this from Texas's statutes and administrative code, the state education department and the US Department of Education, last checked October 2026. Where a source was missing, old or in conflict, the line says so instead of guessing. Federal law (IDEA) gives a child placed in private school by a parent no individual right to services, only a share of the district's equitable-services funds, and each state decides how a home school is counted.

How the state counts a home school

Treated like a private school

Under 19 TAC 89.1096, the Texas Education Agency treats a home school as a private school for special education purposes only if it has an adopted curriculum with a scope and sequence and formal review and documentation of student progress. A home school that meets that definition is handled like other parentally placed private school children; one that does not is not covered by the guide.

Asking for an evaluation

TEA's 2025 guide says child find extends to parentally placed private school children, including home-schooled children, and that the district where the private school is located is responsible. A parent may also ask the district of residence, and the full individual initial evaluation is due within 45 school days of parental consent.

Services and IEPs

TEA states there is no individual right to services for parentally placed private school children, including qualifying home schools; the district decides on equitable services after consultation. Whether withdrawing from public school ends an existing IEP is not found in primary sources reviewed.

Part-time classes, therapies and activities at the public school

TEA guidance on dual enrollment for special education covers only children ages 3 to 4 with disabilities, with the district of residence providing the services. The TEA guide also notes access to certain public school testing such as PSAT and AP under Texas Education Code 29.916; part-time classes or extracurriculars for homeschoolers were not found in primary sources reviewed.

Less certain: the sources on this were thin or in conflict. Confirm with the state office before relying on it.

Scholarships and funding for a child with a disability

Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA) are open to homeschool students, with priority for children with disabilities in lower-income households. The much larger award for children with an IEP on file with TEA applies to students enrolled in participating private schools, not homeschoolers. Application windows are set each year, so check the program's page for current dates and amounts.

Also worth knowing

The TEA guide's FAQ cites 19 TAC 89.1196 for the homeschool definition, which appears to be a typo for 89.1096. Parents should confirm with the district whether the home school meets the TEA definition before relying on private school treatment.

State office to ask: Texas Education Agency, Special Education.

Sources we read

A plain-language summary of public sources, not legal advice. Scholarship and school-choice programs change often, and we have left dollar amounts out on purpose. Confirm current rules with the state office before you act.

Pace, testing and the plan

Check the testing and evaluation line above for Texas, since it can depend on how you homeschool. Where a test or an evaluation applies, remember that Learning Supports change how lessons look and feel while your child learns. They are not part of a test or an evaluation. Whether a child can be given accommodations on the test, or with the evaluator, is something to ask the test provider or evaluator before the day, and we cannot tell you what Texas allows.

Records in Texas

Check the records line above for Texas. Letters & Devotion logs instructional hours automatically while your child works, tracks mastery per skill as a ready-made portfolio record, and prints a transcript in one click. Turning supports on or off does not change that record, and nothing in it names a condition, because Letters & Devotion never stores a diagnosis.

Six Learning Supports you can switch on

A parent ticks what helps, never a condition. Each support is a bundle of single switches, and any switch can be changed on its own. After about three weeks the parent side asks whether a support is helping.

Reading support
Often chosen for dyslexia
Read-aloud with each word highlighted, a clearer font, extra spacing and answer buttons.
Focus support
Often chosen for ADHD
Short pieces, one question on screen and movement breaks.
Predictable routine
Often chosen for autism
The same layout, a heads-up before changes, a calm look and plain wording.
Math support
Often chosen for dyscalculia
Pictures and a calculator, with nothing timed.
Writing support
Often chosen for dysgraphia
Answer out loud, with ideas counted over spelling.
Low-pressure mode
Often chosen for anxiety or perfectionism
No scores, calm feedback and a free second try.

What this is not

It does not diagnose anything or store a diagnosis. Your child never sees a condition name.
It is not special education, therapy or an evaluation, and it is not a substitute for an IEP.
Read-aloud is a computer voice, not a person, and answering out loud needs the microphone switch.
Some lesson rewrites, such as plainer literal wording, are pre-written, so not every lesson has one.

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Questions

Can I homeschool a child with autism or ADHD in Texas?

Texas's homeschool rules are summarized on this page. On special education: Under 19 TAC 89.1096, the Texas Education Agency treats a home school as a private school for special education purposes only if it has an adopted curriculum with a scope and sequence and formal review and documentation of student progress. A home school that meets that definition is handled like other parentally placed private school children; one that does not is not covered by the guide. TEA's 2025 guide says child find extends to parentally placed private school children, including home-schooled children, and that the district where the private school is located is responsible. A parent may also ask the district of residence, and the full individual initial evaluation is due within 45 school days of parental consent.

Does Letters & Devotion store my child’s diagnosis?

No. You pick supports, never a condition, nothing stores a diagnosis, and your child never sees a condition name. Support settings are never sent to analytics.

Does this replace an evaluation or an IEP?

No. The setup screen says it plainly: these change how lessons look and feel, and they are not a substitute for an evaluation or an IEP.

Do the supports work with Texas's testing rules?